1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTSs) of the type having a gateway for transporting out-of-band (OOB) messaging signals.
2. Background Art
A cable modem termination system (CMTS) is generally a system located at a headend or other location of a cable service provider for transporting data packets from one location to another, such as between an internet service provider (ISP) and a subscriber station. In particular, the CMTS may be configured for downstream communication such that it is configured to receive IP packets from the ISP, to convert the IP packets to digital cable packets, and to deliver the digital cable packets to the subscriber station. In addition, the CMTS may be configured for upstream communication such that it is configured to receive digital cable packets from the subscriber station, to convert the digital cable packets to IP packets, and to deliver the IP packets to the ISP.
A need exists for a CMTS to include capabilities for transporting OOB messaging signals.